Fallen tree causes brief power outage in Fairhope

FAIRHOPE, Alabama -- A tree fell on power lines on Volanta Avenue just after 8 a.m. today, causing two electrical substations to shut down and cutting power to a large swath of Fairhope for about half an hour, officials said.

Jimmy Cluster of the city's electric department said the first call complaining about the outage came at 8:11 a.m., and power was restored by 8:40 a.m. The morning's gusty, rainy weather likely caused the tree to fall, he said.

For safety, the electrical system is designed to partially shut down if lines are damaged, he said. Today, substations on Volanta Avenue and Fairhope Avenue shut off after the tree fell, Cluster said. The Volanta station serves the north part of Fairhope and the Fairhope Avenue station serves the shopping centers on U.S. 98 and the neighborhoods on the east side of town, he said.

Homes, businesses and traffic signals were down during the blackout, but apparently caused no car accidents, city officials said.